Andrew Tahmooressi Is A Victim Of Two Nations.

 

by: Chris Warren.

My May 8 blog article was about the astonishingly disrespectful treatment of Marine Sargent Andrew Tahmooressi by the governments of Mexico and the United States. Tahmooressi made a wrong turn while out with friends in southern California, ended up in Mexico by mistake, and was arrested for the three guns he had in his truck. The firearms were legally owned in the United States but once in Mexico he found himself in a heap of trouble. The original story is available here.

I’m very sad to report that Andrew Tahmooessi’s situation has improved only in that he has been moved to a better prison, keeping in mind that when talking about Mexican prisons, “better” is a relative term.

Andrew_Tahmooressi_t250The State Department and the White House have finally acknowledged –after close to two months of silence– that they are aware of the circumstances around Sgt. Tahmooressi’s imprisonment. Maybe they were too busy granting amnesty to illegal Mexicans who sneak into the USA. Maybe they are wrapped up in spinning excuses to whitewash the murder of an American ambassador and three others in Banghazi, Libya as not such a big deal. Why Tahmooressi was blown off by his own Commander in Chief for so long doesn’t really matter because speculating and casting blame is not going to get the Marine back to the USA any sooner.

We have a Marine jailed in Mexico on baloney charges and a long list of foreign policy screw-ups involving Russia, China, and pretty much everywhere else. I can’t figure out if this is because the Obama administration is either stupid or just doesn’t care. It really is that black and white. There is no other logical explanation. This level of malfeasance cannot possibly be an honest oversight.

Is it really so hard to understand why the world is walking all over us? If you are a Muslim terrorist, how afraid are you of the United States hunting you down if you, oh, say, murder an American ambassador? China and Russia are doing whatever the hell they want with no American response beyond a “pretty please don’t do that”. They’re like teenagers who keep pushing the boundaries of deviant behavior because they know their spineless parents are all noise and no action.

Meanwhile, Tahmooressi’s been sitting in prison for close to two months and still has not even been given a court date. This is normal in Mexico, where there are no juries and no presumption of innocence. The judges set their own docket schedule and have a lot of latitude as to when a case will be tried. Some defendants wait over a year before ever setting foot in a courtroom.

I’ve signed the White House petition even though I’ve never been a believer in “point and click” activism. I’m at a loss as to what meaningful action I can personally take. It’s very difficult for me to believe that between President Obama and John Kerry absolutely nothing more can be done outside of the slow slog of nebulous diplomacy.

A news commentator cautiously proposed the idea that it’s possible there is more to this story than is being reported, implying that Tahmooressi may not be as innocent as he appears and Mexico has a good reason to detain him. Ok, fine. But if Mexico has evidence that Tahmooressi committed a real crime and is holding him for that reason, then they should bring it forward and settle the controversy.

For now, it’s not hard at all for me to accept without question the story of a decorated United States Marine over the stonewalling of a faceless foreign bureaucracy, and for that matter, sadly, the empty assurances of my own country. Once the injustice is fixed, what may never be made right is the leftover issue of why everyone from President Obama on down is so completely gutless and ineffective not only on international relations in general, but also on what should have been the simple matter of getting Tahmooressi out of jail.

I’m gratified that the case finally has the attention of the highest levels of government and I do believe the Marine will ultimately be released. It would have made me very happy to see this matter concluded before the Memorial Day holiday, but the Obama administration has other priorities. Sadly, the purpose of my original article is still in effect: The only acceptable outcome is the unconditional release of Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi.

Click here to sign the White House petition.